


Chancer

by girlingoldboots



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-27
Updated: 2011-07-27
Packaged: 2017-10-21 20:02:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/229196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlingoldboots/pseuds/girlingoldboots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry and Clara attempt to patch up their relationship like school students. Written for thegameison_sh for the prompt *love*. Unfortunately I missed the deadline. Expanded a bit from what I had written originally.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chancer

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing to note. Just a quick little fic.
> 
> If you're so inclined the tip jar is open:  
> [Buy Me a Coffee](https://ko-fi.com/A4012NV1)

It was strange to feel like the guest in one’s own home. Harry had settled into the couch and looked around briefly to see if Clara had changed anything around the house.

She hadn't.

"What’s that smile for?" Clara asked, handing the glass of water to her and sat down.

"You didn't change anything." Harry said. "Thought you would have."

"Why would I?" she asked. Harry was the one that walked out. "This is still your home you know, until we decide when to go through with the divorce." That last bit was hard to say, and one of the reasons Harry was at her former residence. She had been sober for six months and it had taken her brother almost getting blown up to shock her into it. After visiting him in hospital she made him promise to not get blown up again. In turn he had made her promise she’d stop killing herself slowly. That was most likely the medication talking, but the look on his face made her not want to ask him if she should end it in one go. Letting it go she realized she had always been the party girl, but she was also a lady and (on occasion) knew when the party was over. She missed the life she was throwing away.

So six months of hard won sobriety and bi-monthly phone calls that led to daily phone calls and here she was. Sitting on the couch next to a woman who would eventually be her ex and feeling torn between comfortable and awkward.

"Yeah, it's overdue talking about it I guess." Harry said. "I fucked up." It was the closest thing she could get to saying _'I'm sorry'_.

"Yeah, you did." Clara replied, tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear. "May I ask something?"

"You know you can." and Harry braced herself for whatever she was to be asked.

"Why did you leave? Did I go on about the drinking that much?" she asked. "Never have been good at letting things lie." Clara said with a sad smile.

"No, you haven't." Harry said with a small smile in return. Of all the questions she expected, that was not the one she expected. Frankly there were things she could have said to placate her, but the time was past for that. "The truth? I didn't want you to see me like that." The other woman opened her mouth to say something, but Harry interrupted her. "I know, stupid yeah?" She glanced at the wedding picture on the mantle, both wearing pretty white dresses and genuine smiles. She missed those days.

"Harry..." Clara began. "That was exceptionally stupid."

"You didn't marry me for my brains." She joked quietly. Changing the subject she asked her "How's work going?"

Clara smirked as she suppressed the smart-arse answer on the tip of her tongue. "The same. People being manipulating and cruel to one another." was the reply. She was a solicitor specializing in divorce cases and family law. She had a strict sense of what was fair and what was not, and took on the role of advocate for her clients. It was a small firm she was with, but they had a solid practice.

"You always were a good mediator." Harry told her and the other woman scoffed. "Please. It's never that easy."

"How have you been getting on?" Clara asked her. She shouldn't be concerned, she told herself, but she did none the less.

"Let's see... after I was terminated for missing too many days and drinking through my savings I'm gainfully employed again. Terrible time for real estate these days, but the agents that took pity on me literally came glitter all over my CV they wanted me that bad." She gave another small smile. "I'm just doing busy work now, but the office is in a total mess. Don't know how they function." Fixing chaos was something that Watsons were decent at. Family curses were not always destructive.

"They also give me time off to go to the double A's." She continued. "I just hope they eventually deem me sober enough to stop going. A lot of them are pathetic. It's pretty bad when you want to go to a pub after the meetings." They both laughed a little at that. It was Harry's way of saying _’It's helping and I'm not admitting to it'_.

"Glad it’s helping." Clara said. "I hated seeing you disintegrate."

"That remains to be seen." she said. "Falling apart isn't the best feeling in the world." she paused. "I want you to know I never cheated." she said. "No matter how shite-faced I got, I couldn't."

"Is that supposed to make things better?" Clara asked. "Besides I know you didn't."

"No, it isn't." She said. "But would you hate me if I said I wanted another chance? Not a do-over, we can't do over. But maybe another try?"

"I wouldn't hate you, just the circumstances." Was Clara's reply. "Maybe if I hadn't known you when things were better it'd be easier to tell you to sod off." She sighed. "If, and that's a big if, we try again, I can't give you another chance. I'm not putting myself through this again, and I won't." She prepared herself for the final say on the subject. "It's not that I don't love you, I do. But I'm not your safety net." she finished.

Harry suddenly found her shoes interesting.

While she did that Clara absent minded pulled a sheet of yellow legal paper off the pad that was sitting near her. She folded and scribbled things on it. Harry looked up to see what she was doing. "Oh no. Christ I hate that thing. Are you seven years old again?"

Clara grinned and held out the origami fortune teller. "Go on, pick a colour."

Harry dramatically put a pillow over her face in an attempt at self-asphyxiation. Then mumbled "Blue".

"B-l-u-e." Clara chanted. "It says _'I missed you'_. Pick a number."

"Seven." she said, leaning over to watch the count. "Don't cheat, you always cheat."

She counted the numbers out then read " _'You've been a stupid cow'_."

"Point taken."

"Pick another colour."

Despite her protests Harry said "Yellow."

The answer under that was " _'I love you'_."

"Do I pick a number?" Harry asked.

"If you like."

"Four". Clara counted again. The answer read. " _'Are you coming home?'_ "

"If you'll have me." She said, truthfully.

"Not right away, but let's take it as it comes?" Clara said. "So are you going to kiss me or what?" She asked.

And Harry did. It was small one, but a start.


End file.
